Donald Trump’s declaration on Jerusalem: a unilateral decision which does not foster peace

Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and to transfer to this city the American embassy located in Tel Aviv is an impediment to a peace process already in bad shape.

Jerusalem has been for three thousand years the heart of the Jewish conscience., and Israel made it rightfully its capital when the State was created. However, asserting that the city such as it is today (when the Israeli right itself intends to separate various Arab sections from Jerusalem) is the capital of Israel, and Israel only, makes even more difficult the dialogue between all the parties involved in the conflict, since Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be their future capital.

The American president’s declaration could result in serious violence in the region or even beyond, reinforce extremists in both camps, and further delay the prospects of an Israeli-Palestinian peace. Only a peace agreement, based on the coexistence of two sovereign States, will allow Jerusalem to be recognized as the shared capital of Israel and of the future Palestinian State by the international community.